Chapter 171: Of Unfilial Acts, the Greatest is This

Although the mountain path was rugged, these people were so familiar with it that they walked as if strolling on flat ground, even while carrying the sedan chair. Yet Liu Ling'er felt a sense of quiet helplessness inside the sedan. Just moments ago, she had traversed this very path, but she could not remember how she had crossed it.

Such absent-mindedness seemed almost innate. Try as she might, Liu Ling'er could not deny it, so she finally had no choice but to drop the sedan's window curtain and sit inside drawing circles.

After drawing who knows how many hundreds of circles, the sedan came to a steady and complete halt. Guessing that they had finally reached their destination, Liu Ling'er lifted the curtain to peer outside. What met her eyes was an exceptionally vast courtyard, where a middle-aged man was holding a bamboo broom, sweeping away the dust on the ground with slow, deliberate strokes.

The middle-aged man stood tall and upright like an ancient pine, radiating a vigor as bold as the midday sun. Although he was merely sweeping the floor, every single movement of his seemed to sweep away not the dust of the earth, but the grand rivers and mountains of the realm.

Liu Ling'er's heart skipped a beat. This aura was far from unfamiliar to her, because such an imposing presence was something Liu Rufeng frequently and unwittingly emitted. There could be no doubt about it. Liu Ling'er was now certain that this middle-aged man, just like her own father, was unquestionably a seasoned general of a generation.

The middle-aged man continued sweeping as if Liu Ling'er and her party were invisible. Hu Li probably understood his old man's temper all too well; he stood off to the side, not daring to make the slightest move. Compared to the arrogant young commander he had been earlier, he now looked precisely like a trembling grandson.

After the span of about a cup of tea, the middle-aged man finished sweeping and handed the broom to an attendant nearby. Other attendants hurried over to set up a table, serving fresh fruit and tea. The middle-aged man seated himself on a stool, beckoned to Hu Li, and said, "What are you standing over there for? Come here."

Hu Li's body trembled slightly. Liu Ling'er could sense just how terrified he was, as though the person sitting before him was not his father, but the King of Hell presiding over the underworld.

To extend the neck is a blade, and to pull it back is still a blade. After weighing the matter for three full seconds, Hu Li steeled himself, walked over, and bowed deeply with a grand salute, saying, "Your son pays his respects to Father."

The middle-aged man slammed his hand on the table. "I haven't caught a glimpse of your shadow all morning! Instead of practicing your martial arts, you spend every day looking for ways to slack off and wander about causing mischief. If you can't give me a proper explanation, you know the consequences."

By the end of his sentence, his voice had unconsciously risen several decibels. Before him, Hu Li was like a gentle lamb, almost scared out of his wits. Fortunately, such scenes were a regular occurrence, staged every few days or so, and Hu Li had already practiced enough to grow quite accustomed to them.

Thinking that he had just brought back the daughter of an old friend—a tremendous merit—he wondered why he should be afraid. Surely he deserved a reward! Emboldened by this thought, Hu Li straightened his back and declared, "Father, you are truly wronging me today. I was actually out attending to proper business!"

Proper business? Hu Li's father was amused. "Since when did you start knowing how to attend to proper business?" He slapped the table again. "How dare you talk back? Kneel down! Let me ask you, what is the most important piece of business in your life right now? They say there are three unfilial acts, of which having no descendants is the worst. Your most important business right now is how to win a wife and add new blood to the Hu family as soon as possible. Continuing the family line is your greatest duty; everything else is fleeting smoke."

Liu Ling'er's eyes nearly popped out of the sedan. She finally understood the origin of Hu Li's roadside interception tactics: with a father like this pressing him every single day, whenever a woman happened to pass by, he would rather miss none than let a single one slip away.

Hu Li shot a flurry of winks at his father, Hu Bugui, silently hinting that there were outsiders present and begging him to spare some face. His current behavior was terribly embarrassing.

"What are you batting your eyes at your old man for? You little rascal, don't waste your breath. Even if you blink your eyes blind, your old man isn't going to fall for that trick." Hu Bugui completely ignored Hu Li's hints. Those two sentences alone filled Hu Li with the urge to die on the spot.

*Good heavens! How did I end up with such a father? This is truly a fatal ordeal.* Trapped inside the sedan and listening to the thunderous scolding from Hu Li's father, Liu Ling'er was thoroughly stunned. At the thought of Hu Li's wasted expressions, she could not help letting out a sudden giggle.

Hu Bugui frowned. "Who is inside that sedan? Why are they hiding their head and tail instead of coming out? Could it be that they still expect to put on airs in my presence?"

At that moment, Liu Ling'er and Baili Xian were both completely exhausted and utterly unable to move. Baili Xian, in particular, was secretly anxious. *I recognize Hu Li's father! He was a seasoned general in the court of Eastern Chu. But after His Late Majesty passed away, he vanished completely. I originally thought he had been murdered by my ruthless brother, yet here he is, leading a band of soldiers to occupy the mountain and turn outlaws.*

Hearing the father ask about the person inside the sedan, Hu Li suddenly slapped his forehead. *Look at how panicked I was! I should have introduced Liu Ling'er right away and everything would have been fine, yet I let myself take a huge detour and ended up getting a fierce lecture from my old man. What a miscalculation!*

"Father, the person inside the sedan is the child of an old friend. Do you still remember Liu Ling'er? It's just that she was afflicted by a certain kind of incense powder and is currently limp and powerless, unable to move," Hu Li hurriedly introduced Liu Ling'er to keep his father from latching onto him for endless criticism.

Hu Bugui fell into contemplation, muttering, "Liu Ling'er... That name sounds so familiar, why can't I remember it for a moment? Could it be that I'm growing truly senile and my memory is failing?"

Seeing this, Hu Li quickly chimed in, "Father, she is the only daughter of Senior General Liu! Surely you haven't forgotten about Uncle Liu?"

Prompted by this reminder, Hu Bugui slapped his thigh. "Ah, yes! That little girl is indeed Old Brother Liu's only daughter. We haven't seen each other in over a decade, no wonder I couldn't place the name right away. Quick! Since she is the daughter of an old friend, why haven't you invited her into the house yet?"

As he spoke, he stood up and strode directly toward the sedan to welcome Liu Ling'er down. However, in his haste, and without asking which sedan was which, he headed straight for the nearest one.

Hu Li wanted to warn him that this was not Liu Ling'er's sedan, and that the one beside it was hers, but before the words could leave his mouth, Hu Bugui had already lifted the door curtain.

Hu Li raised his head and thought, *It's over. I just hope the person inside this sedan doesn't scare my father. If my father strikes, I certainly can't guarantee the life of the person inside.*

The curtain lifted, revealing the person within. Hu Bugui paused in surprise. *Why is it an ugly ghost? Could it be that I lifted the wrong sedan?*

Amidst his bewilderment, the ugly ghost opposite him revealed a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "General Pingguo, it has been several years, yet your bearing remains as magnificent as ever."

Hu Bugui was startled once more. *How does this person know I am General Pingguo? Furthermore, I haven't served as a general for many years, and this title hasn't been used by anyone for ages. Hearing it now, how could I not be astonished?*

Yet Hu Bugui had weathered countless storms in his lifetime. After recovering from a brief wave of shock, he asked dubiously, "Who are you? How do you know my title from over a decade ago?"

Baili Xian chuckled softly. "General Hu, I am wearing a human-skin mask; this is not my true appearance. It's just that I am currently inconvenienced, so I must ask you to help me peel off this mask."

Hu Bugui reached out, located the adhesive edge of the mask, and carefully peeled it away. When his eyes fell upon Baili Xian's true face, he could not help drawing in a sharp breath of cold air, his expression instantly turning one of intense agitation.